Cereal food



Patented Feb. 5, 1935 CEREAL FOOD No Drawing. Application January 28, 1932, Serial N0. 589,530

7 Claims. (Cl. 99-10) This invention relates to puffed cereal foods tempered, the grains are passed through a suitfor use as breakfast foods and otherwise, and has able roasting or toasting oven where they are for its object to provide a method of preparing subjected to a high temperature, preferably apsuch foods which will produce a highly puffed, proximating 600 F.

roasted cereal food containing all of the vital The sugar and salt coating on the grains serves 5 elements of the grain, exceedingly crisp and to occlude the moisture within the grains, and nutritious, and which will not become soggy in when they are submitted to the roasting tempereither milk or cream. With this object in view ature indicated, the moisture is converted into I take a cereal, such as wheat or rice, and cook steam, but is temporarily retained within the 10 the samein a closed steam cooker in the presence grain until the internal pressure reaches a point 10 of moisture until the grains are thoroughly where it pops or bursts the grain, that is, it excooked. After the grains are cooked I subject plodes the starch cells of the cereal. This exthe closed vessel to the action of approximately plosive action can be heard plainly, being, howtwelve or more inches of vacuum, at the same ever, more pronounced in some grains than in time supplying a current of air to the cooker, the others. The result of this exploding of the starch air being supplied in such a way that it is percells is the enlarging or pufllng up of the grain mitted to pass up through the cooked grain. This to several times its original size. Wheat will be vacuum treatment is continued until the steam is puffed from five to six times its original size, extracted from the cooker. The grain may then and rice from six to seven times its original size.

be passed, while hot, directly from the cooker While I prefer to use the sugar and salt solu- 0 between hot rolls so spaced apart as to flatten tion indicated above to ,coat the surface because or compress the grains more or less but without it performs the dual function of coating and rolling them into thin, shaving-like flakes. After flavoring, other solutions may be employed for rolling, the grains are partially dried, that is, the th t n p ration, su h as s u i s f egg exterior surface of the grain is dried, the interior albumen, ca flour P Starch paste d 25 of the grain still containing moisture of approxithe like. mately 15%. Preferably the partially dried com- By ompress he rain While it is hot as it pressed grains are then permitted to stand in comes f m the ook r, inst ad f pa t ally d ybins, bags or other masses for tempering, that ins an th n flaking the grain as heretofore i t permit the i t r ntain d i th grains practiced, the final product, after explosion of 30 to be uniformly distributed throughout each the grain, will be increased from 20% to' 30% grain. This will ordinarily require about twelve more than heretofore secured. The exact reason to fifteen hours or longer, and may take place at f this, v i Somewhat Obscure, but i is room temperature. I then apply a moisture-ocbelieved that by compress g the grain before eluding coating to each flattened tempered grain. r i h r h cells are mp d o hat Preferably this is accomplished by treating the h m r i n ly oc lude the moisture until grain with a water solution of a substance or subthe Same is converted into Steam, and i is his stances which, when the water is dried out, will high p e n l te m t at produces the leave the grains coated with the solid which was D 40 contained in the solution. Preferably I spray or h Product hus ecured contains all of the 40 otherwise treat the tempered grains with a water nutritive Properties of the n r l r in insolution containing about 2% salt and'6% sugar, eluding the bran, is cooked ready to e v n is although these percentages may be varied to exceedingly crisp nd palatable. taste. This spraying treatment is continued un- Reference is made to my -p n n appli 4 tiI from 15% to 20% of moisture is added to the i Serial 1 10, filed June 27, 1

tempered grains, after which they r again allowed November 22, 1934, wherein certain subpartially dried. This second drying action leaves jest-matter disclosed h rein is set forth and the grains coated with the sugar and salt conla I tained in the solution and also serves to flavor Having thus described he nv n i n, Wha is 2 the product. After the grains are thus partially la m d is: dried they are again tempered, that is, they 1- he p s f reating cereal r ins which are permitted to stand for approximately fifteen consists in cooking the same in a closed vessel in or sixteen hours in a mass or until the moisture the presence of moisture, passing air up through in the grain is uniformly distributed throughout the mass of cooked grains while subjecting the 558 each grain. After they have been thus coated and closed vessel to a vacuum, whereby the grains are separated, then flattening the grains while hot,

then partially drying the flattened grains, then tempering the grains, then moistening the partially dried and tempered grains with a sugar and salt solution, again partially drying the grains and then subjecting them to a high toasting temperature.

2. A process of treating cereal grains which comprises the steps of steam cooking the grains in moisture, passing air up through the cooked grains while subjecting them to a vacuum, 'compressing the grains hot from the cooker, partially drying and then tempering the same, then treating the tempered grains with a dissolved solid, evaporating the solvent from said solid, whereby the grains are coated with the solid, and then subjecting the coated grains to a high temperature to pufl' the same.

3. A process of treating cereal grains which comprises the steps of steam cooking the grains in the presence of moisture, then subjecting the cooked grains to a vacuum treatment until the steam is removed therefrom, then rolling the grains while hot to flatten the same, then partially drying and tempering the flattened grains, then applying a moisture-occluding coating to the grains, and then subjecting the coated grains to a toasting temperature, whereby they are pufied and toasted.

4. A process of treating cereal grains which comprises the steps of subjecting moist, steam cooked grains to a partial vacuum, then compressing the grains while still hot but without reducing them to shaving-like flakes, then partially drying and tempering the grains, then treating the grains with a sugar and salt solution, again partially drying and tempering the grains, and then subjecting the grains to a toasting temperature whereby they are puffed and toasted.

5. A process of treating cereal grains which comprises the steps of steam cooking the grains in the presence of moisture, in a closed container, extracting the steam from the grains while still in the container, compressing the grains while still hot but without reducing them to shaving-like flakes, partially drying and tempering the compressed grains, then spraying the grains with water having sugar and salt dissolved therein, then again partially drying and tempering the grains, and then subjecting them to a toasting temperature, whereby they are puilled and toasted.

6. A process of treating cereal grains which comprises the steps of cooking the grains in moisture in a closed vessel, extracting steam from the cooking vessel by means of a vacuum while the grains are still therein, then flattening the grains as they come from the cooker partially drying the cooked, flattened grains, spraying the partially dried grains with a solution which, when the solvent is evaporated, leaves the grain with a moisture-occluding coating, again partially drying and then tempering the coated grains, and then subjecting them to a high temperature to pufi and brown the same.

7. A process of treating cereal grains which comprises the steps of cooking the grains in'moisture in a closed vessel, then subjecting the closed vessel to the action of a vacuum while passing air through the mass of cooked grains until the steam is extracted from the cooker, then changing the form of the cooked grains while still hot, partially drying the same, supplying the. partially dried grains with a solution which when the solvent is evaporated leaves a solid on the surfaces of the grains, evaporating the solvent, and then subjecting the grains to a toasting temperature.

JOHN L. KELLOGG. 

